California (5-5) Hosts Stanford (2-8)

Bears look to become Bowl eligible with win in 101st Big Game.

November 15, 1998

Cal-Stanford: The Series
College football's 10th most played rivalry returns to Berkeley as the Bears and Cardinal hook up in the 101st edition of the Big Game. One of the most exciting traditional contests in the nation, Cal and Stanford have played four games decided on the final play of the game (1972, '74, '82, '90). Stanford holds a 50-39-11 advantage in the series. Last year, Stanford jumped out to a 21-7 lead, but a furious Cal comeback pulled the Bears within four as time was running down. The dramatics ended at the Cardinal 14, however, as a Justin Vedder pass was intercepted with 1:22 left in the game, allowing Stanford to escape with a 21-20 win.

Cal-Stanford Media Notes

Cal Bids for Bowl and Winning Record in Hosting Stanford in 101st Big Game
With a winning record and a possible bowl bid on the line, Cal has a lot to play for when the Golden Bears host Stanford this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the 101st Big Game against Stanford. On paper, the Bears figure to be favorites as the Cardinal has struggled this season. However, Stanford has won three consecutive and seven of the last nine games played between the two teams. Only Caleb Brown played on the 1994 Cal team that last won the Big Game, although 10 other Cal players were on that squad but were redshirting their freshman seasons. Stanford holds a 50-39-11 advantage in a series that rates as the 10th most played rivalry in college football. Last season, Cal shut Stanford out in the second half and rallied from a 21-7 deficit. However, a potential game-winning drive in the final two minutes stalled at the Cardinal 33-yard-line and a Justin Vedder pass was intercepted by Chris Draft at the 14-yard-line in a 21-20 Stanford victory.

TelevisionTelevised live on the KGO-TV CH. 7 (Bay Area Only).
Barry Tompkins will handle the play-by-play with John Robinson providing the color analysis.

AttendanceA crowd of 70,000 is expected.

Cal, Washington and ASU in Battle for Post-season in Muddled Bowl Picture
Cal finds itself in the middle of a muddled bowl picture entering its final game of the regular season. However, one thing is clear: the Bears need to win Saturday's game against Stanford or its post-season aspirations will go unfulfilled. Cal, Washington and Arizona State all have 5-5 records going into the final games against traditional rivals. It appears that the three teams could be playing for two bowl openings (the O'ahu Bowl in Hawaii and possibly the Las Vegas Bowl) as the top four Pac-10 teams have already clinched four conference bowl slots. Even that equation could be changed if UCLA is able to get into the national championship Fiesta Bowl and Arizona is subsequently selected to the Rose Bowl as part of the Bowl Championship Series. If that happens, the other Pac-10 bowl locks - Oregon and USC - would move up the ladder into the Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl, leaving the Aloha and O'ahu Bowls, along with the Las Vegas Bowl (which has an open slot and has expressed interest in a Pac-10 team) as opportunities for Cal, Washington and Arizona State. It's unlikely anything will be completely decided this weekend, unless UCLA loses its game vs. USC thus eliminating itself from national title consideration, as Arizona State won't visit Arizona until November 27 and the Bruins won't conclude its season until December 5 when they travel to Miami to make up a Sept. 26 date that was postponed due to a hurricane.

Cal Radio Network
The game will be aired live over KGO Radio (810 AM) San Francisco and the five-station Cal Radio Network. Other stations on the network are: KANM (660 AM) in Modesto, KRCK (1490 AM) in King City; KJAX (1280 AM) in Stockton, KGOE (105.5 FM) in Eureka, KYOS (1480 AM) in Merced; and KMET (1490 AM) in Riverside. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes prior to kickoff. KGO is in its 24th season as the Golden Bears flagship station. Sports Director Joe Starkey is in his 24th season handling play-by-play duties, and Lee Grosscup, who is in his 10th year in the booth, joins him with color commentary. The Tom Holmoe Show airs weekly on KGO Wednesdays at 5:20 p.m.

Cal Highlight Show
The weekly one-half hour Cal Football Highlight Show, hosted by Tim Sharp, will air each Sunday afternoon during the season on Fox Sports Bay Area. The program will be shown on Sundays at 4:30 p.m., with a repeat showing Mondays at 3 p.m.

Interceptions up for Cal Secondary
Senior safety Marquis Smith's first quarter interception versus Arizona last week was his first this season and first since the last time the Bears played the Wildcats on Nov. 15, 1997. Smith now has five interceptions for his career. Cornerback Chidi Iwuoma also notched his first pick of the season versus the Wildcats. With its two interceptions against Arizona, Cal has now recorded 14 aerial thefts this year, more than three time the number Cal recorded in 1997 when the Bear registered just four picks for the entire season.

Douglas Eyes Pac-10 Record
Senior wide receiver Dameane Douglas will have one final opportunity to put his name atop the Pac-10 record book this Saturday. He enters the Big Game with 87 catches on the season, just three shy of the conference mark of 90 set by USC's Keyshawn Johnson in 1995. Douglas has had at five games with at least 10 catches so far this year, including 15 at Oregon State Oct. 31. His OSU total and his 87 catches on the year are both Cal records. Douglas also owns Cal's career reception record, passing Bobby Shaw's previous mark of 180 last week versus Arizona.

Releases Available on InfoConnection
All California releases, statistics and rosters are available to the media via InfoConnection. To access InfoConnection, call 800-300-2050 and enter 72210 for the Pacific-10 Conference. You must also have a personal identification number (PIN), as well. If you do not have a PIN, call InfoConnection at 770-399-0096. The code numbers for Cal football are: release - 1901; notes/depth chart - 1902; stats only - 1903; latest game stats - 1904; latest game book - 1905; roster - 1908.

Cal Radio on the Internet
All Cal football radio broadcasts can be heard on the Internet at www.broadcast. com/sports/ncaa/california. Visit the site and download the necessary software, then log on at game time to catch the Bears live.

Cal Radio on 800 Service
All Cal football radio broadcasts during the 1998 season are available nationwide via telephone through the facilities of TRZ Telephone Broadcast Services. Fans can access the Cal Radio Network from anywhere in the country at 1-800-846-4700, ext. 5918. The cost is $.50 for the first minute, with decreasing rates for additional minutes.

Pac-10 Video Feed
The Pacific-10 Conference provides a weekly satellite feed every Wednesday throughout the season, featuring game highlights and interviews. The feed, at Telstar 4, Transponder 20 (C-Band), airs from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT. In case of trouble with the feed, call the Pac-10 Conference office at (925) 932-4411.

Around the Pac-10
Oregon at Oregon State; USC at UCLA; Washington at Washington State; Arizona and Arizona State are idle.

The CoachesTom Holmoe, California (Brigham Young '83) is in his second year as head coach of the Bears and third with the Cal program. He has a career record of 8-13 with the Bears. A 1983 graduate of BYU, Holmoe was the Cougars starting cornerback from 1980-82 and led the WAC in interceptions as a sophomore in 1980. He earned first team WAC honors as a senior and later was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. Holmoe went on to play seven years with in the NFL, all with San Francisco, and helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls. After retiring from pro football, he entered the coaching ranks, serving as a graduate assistant during the 1990 and '91 seasons under LaVell Edwards at BYU. In 1992, Holmoe was reunited with Bill Walsh after accepting an offer to become the Stanford secondary coach. After two years as a member of the Cardinal staff, he moved back to the pro ranks and his former team, the 49ers, as George Seifert's defensive backfield coach for the 1994 and '95 seasons. In 1996, Holmoe joined the Bears staff as the defensive coordinator and on Jan. 18, 1997, he was named head football coach at Cal.

Tyrone Willingham, Stanford (Michigan State '77) is in his fourth season at Stanford. In that time, Willingham has compiled an 20-23-1 overall record and has led the Cardinal to bowl berths following both the 1995 (Liberty Bowl) and '96 seasons (Sun Bowl). Selected the 1995 Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year, this is Willingham's second tour of duty on The Farm as he also coached running backs for Stanford from 1989-91 under then-head coach Dennis Green. Following the 1991 season, he went wit h Green to Minnesota and served three years as the Vikings running backs coach before being named Stanford's 30th head coach on Dec. 9, 1994. Willing ham got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant in 1977 at Michigan State. From there, he spent two years coaching defensive backs at Central Michigan before returning as the defensive secondary and special teams coach at his alma mater, MSU, in 1980. In 1983 Willingham joined the coaching staff at North Carolina State, again as the DBs and special teams coach, and then moved on to coach receivers and special teams at Rice in 1986.

Big Game Events
The following are some of the events scheduled for Big Game Week:

IKON Office Solutions Play of the Week
Each week throughout the 1998 football season, IKON Office Solutions will salute the Golden Bear Play of the Week. For the Arizona game, the play was a Dameane Douglas' spectacular 9-yard touchdown run that pulled the Bears with in four points of the Wildcats with 3:16 remaining in the game.

The Times Player of the Game
Each week throughout the 1998 football season, the Contra Costa Times will recognize the Cal Player of the Game. The winner for the Arizona game is sophomore tailback Marcus Fields, who rushed 18 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Fields also had 2 receptions for 38 yards, including a 25-yard TD.

Sanyika and Beck May Rate as Top Linebacker Duo Country Next Fall
The two leaders in the Pac-10 for tackles behind the line of scrimmage are Cal junior linebackers Sekou Sanyika and Matt Beck. The fact that both will be back next season as veteran seniors must be scary for Pac-10 offensive coordinators. The two, along with USC's Chris Claiborne, are very possibly the most dominant defensive players in the conference this season. Sanyika continued his streak of having at least one tackle behind the line of scrimmage last week against Arizona and has a solid chance to challenge the school mark in that category as he now has 23 for a minus 125 yards. Beck, despite missing almost two entire games due to injuries, has been coming on strong of late as he had three tackles for minus 13 yards at Oregon State, four tackles for minus 11 yards at Arizona State and three tackles for minus 16 yards vs. Arizona. He now ranks second in the Pac-10 with 18 stops behind the line of scrimmage. The Cal single-season record for tackles for loss is 26.5, held for the past 15 years by Ron Rivera (1983). Below is a list of the impact games Sanyika and Beck have had during their Cal careers.

Impact Games for Sekou Sanyika and Matt Beck (1996-98)

Sekou Sanyika's Impact Games

San Diego State - 9/14/96
Had 5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks for
-29 yards

Oklahoma - 9/20/97
Had 4 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for -23 yards

Arizona - 11/15/97
Had 8 tackles, including 6 unassisted, and caused a fumble on sack that
was returned for TD

Houston - 9/5/98
Had 2 interceptions, which gave Cal the ball at the Houston 40- and
30-yard lines

Oklahoma - 9/19/98
Had 3 tackles for loss for -20 yards, and caused a fumble recovered at
OU 4-yard-line

USC - 10/10/98
Had 3 tackles for loss for -20 yards, including a sack of QB for safety
that started Cal comeback

Washington - 10/17/98
Had 4 tackles for loss for -20 yards, including a pair of sacks, one
of which caused a fumble

UCLA - 10/24/98
Had 2 tackles for loss for -6 yards, including one for a safety

Matt Beck's Impact Games

San Jose State - 9/7/96
Had 13 tackles (2 for loss) and caused fumble that Cal recovered at
SJS 9-yard-line

Oregon State - 9/28/96
Had 11 tackles and intercepted two passes, returning one 31 yards
for a TD

Oklahoma - 9/20/97
Had a school record 6 tackles for loss for -17 yards

Arizona - 11/15/97
Had 11 tackles, 8 unassisted, including 4 behind the line of scrimmage

Oklahoma - 9/19/98
Had a career high 14 tackles, one for loss, and returned an
interception 9 yards

Oregon State - 10/31/98
Had 8 tackles, including 3 behind the line (1 sack), forced one
fumble & recovered one

Arizona State - 11/7/98
Had 9 tackles, including 4 behind the line of scrimmage for -11 yards.

Arizona - 11/14/98
Had 4 tackles, including 3 behind the line of scrimmage for -16 yards, including 11-yard sack

Strength vs. Strength and Weakness vs. Weakness in 101st Big Game
Something will have to give this week when Cal and Stanford meet in Memorial Stadium. It will be an intriguing game because the match-ups on both sides of the ball present what appears to be strength vs. strength when Stanford offense goes against the Cal defense and weakness vs. weakness when the Cal offense goes against the Stanford defense. How each team fares in those battles will go a long ways in determining the victor. Cal is averaging only 301.6 yards per game and has only three games all season in which it has gained more than 300 yards. On the other hand, Stanford ranks No. 106 out of 112 Division IA teams in total defense, giving up 468.1 yards a game. The Cardinal have held opponents to fewer than 400 yards only 3 times in its first 10 games. When Stanford has the ball, it will face one of its biggest challenges of the year in a Cal defense that has been stout the entire season. The Cardinal is averaging 403.8 yards a game to rank No. 33 nationally, but is especially dangerous in the passing game where they rank No. 8 in the current NCAA stats, averaging 321.7 yards a game. Cal is having its finest defensive season in several years and ranks 38th nationally, giving up 343.4 yards a game. Below is a comparison between different offensive and defensive categories and where the teams rank nationally in those areas.

Senior Dameane Douglas Should Break Keyshawn Johnson's Pac-10 Record
In a season in which Cal hasn't had a lot to brag about offensively, Dameane Douglas has been a beacon of light all year long. The 6-1, 195-pound senior entered the '98 season as a virtual unknown. However, he has taken the college world by storm in 1998, thanks to one of the most prolific receiving seasons in NCAA history. With 87 catches (1026 yards), Douglas already has the Cal single-season record in his hip pocket and now is taking dead aim at the prestigious Pacific-10 mark held by former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who had 90 catches in 1995. Douglas has caught an amazing 46.0 percent of Cal's receptions this season and has more than three times more catches than any other Cal player in '98. He has consistently produced in the clutch and proved that again last week against Arizona. In Cal's fourth quarter touchdown drive that brought the Bears back into contention at 27-23, he keyed the drive with a spectacular diving 35-yard catch that converted a 3rd-and-16 situation. He then culminated the drive when he took an end-around for a 9-yard TD run after looking unsuccessfully for an open receiver. Douglas currently ranks No. 3 nationally with 8.7 receptions per game, while he is No.15 in receiving yardage (102.6 yards per game). Below is a list of where Douglas stands on various Pac-10 receiving lists.

Fields and Waasdorp Emerging as Two of the Top Sophomores in the Pacific-10
Two of the best players on the Cal team during the second half of the season have been sophomores Marcus Fields and nosetackle Jacob Waasdorp, who each rates among the top young players in the Pacific-10.

Fields has been a terror the last two weeks, picking up a pair of 100-yard games while averaging 9.1 yards per carry, and scoring four touchdowns. In fact, Fields has put together three 100-yard games in his last four outings and has topped the century mark four time this season. He now ranks as the No. 6 rusher in the Pac-10, averaging 70.8 yards a game. His confidence seems to be growing each week and the conference is beginning to get a taste of his breakaway speed. Against UCLA, he broke a 28-yarder en route to a 118-yard outing. Two weeks later, Fields not only sprinted through the Arizona State defense for a career long 72-yard TD, but he caught a 43-yard TD pass. Last week, against an Arizona defense that entered the game ranked first in the Pac-10 in rushing defense and total defense, he had 117 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown run. He also was a factor in the passing game as he caught a 25-yard TD pass. At a lean 207 pounds, Fields could be a load next season if he plays at around 215 pounds as expected.

Waasdorp may be one of the most undersized defensive tackles in the league at 250 pounds, but he is a big reason why the Cal defense has been nearly inpenetrable in 1998. An interior defensive lineman's worth is difficult to measure in terms of statistics, but the Cal coaching staff indicates that Waasdorp has been playing as well as any lineman in the Pacific-10. Against Oregon State three weeks ago, he came up with one of the big plays of the game when he sacked Beaver QB Jonathan Smith in the final minute of play to seal Cal's 20-19 victory. Two weeks ago, he came up with five tackles behind the line of scrimmage for minus 24 yards at Arizona State. Last week, he was credited with just two tackles, but he helped a strong Arizona rushing attack to 55 yards lower than their average and only 3.4 yards per carry.

Cal Defense Wants To Finish On Strong Note as Springboard for 1999
It has clearly been a breakthrough season for the California defense in 1998 as the Bears have improved dramatically in virtually every conceivable category. After holding Arizona to 48 yards under its total offense average last week, the Bears have another difficult task this week in a pass-happy Stanford team that is averaging over 320 yards a game through the air. The Bears have remained stout in the late season, despite several injury issues. One of the most encouraging attributes of the Cal defense this fall has been the big play. A year ago, Cal had only four interceptions and a total of 19 take-aways. This year, the Bears already have 14 interceptions and a total of 27 take-aways. They may need to come up with some big plays if they hope to shut down a potent Stanford offensive attack this week. The game could also serve as a springboard to what promises to be a dominant season in 1999. Not only do the Bears return seven starters next fall, including as many as four All-America candidates in Sekou Sanyika, Matt Beck, Andre Carter and Jerry DeLoach, but defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich reports that a number of freshmen who are currently redshirting would be pushing for starting jobs right now except for the goal of keeping their year of eligibility. Among those who have caught Setencich's eye are frosh cornerbacks LaShawn Ward and Jameel Powell and safety Bert Watts. Transfer linebacker Jason Smith, who will be a junior next year, is another who the coaches believe will contend for starting duties in 1999. Below is a comparison of how the Cal defense has improved the over the last three seasons.

* does not include bowl game
Number in parenthesis represents Pac-10 rank

Cal and Stanford Have Participated in Greatest Number of "Cliffhanger" Games
Cal and Stanford have faced each other in 4 "cliffhanger" games (decided on the last play of the game), more than any other series in college football. The Cal-Stanford dramatic finishes began in 1972 when Vince Ferragamo hit Steve Sweeney with a 7-yard TD pass for a 24-21 Cal victory. The other three cliffhangers were in 1974 when Stanford's Mike Langford hit a 50-yard field goal for a 22-20 victory; in 1982 with Cal's amazing 5-lateral kickoff return dubbed "The Play" for a 25-20 win; and in 1990 when Stanford recovered an onsides kick and John Hopkins hit a 39-yard FG for a 27-25 win. The 2 teams would have had another cliffhanger in 1988, but a potential game-winning 19-yard FG by Robbie Keen was blocked by Stanford's Tuan Van Lee. All four games have been played at Memorial Stadium.

Bear Defenders Get Stronger in the Second Half
Cal has outscored its opponents 53 to 37 in the fourth quarter this season and that's a good indication that the Bears have gotten stronger defensively as the game has worn on. Although Arizona was consistent before and after the intermission last week, Cal generally has dominated action on defense in the second half. The Bears have held 7 of 10 opponents this season to fewer yards after halftime than before. Below is a list of what the Bears have accomplished in the second half this season.

Miscellaneous Notes, Et Cetera, Three-dot Data
Cal senior Albert Dorsey is quietly having one of the best seasons in the Pac-10; after registering a career high 13 tackles last week against Arizona (including four behind the line of scrimmage), he now ranks No. 7 in the Pac-10 with an 8.1 tackles per game average...Cal and Arizona were flagged for 307 penalty yards last week, the most in any Cal game in history...The Bears rank third in the league with 35 sacks (behind Washington with 48 and Arizona with 41) while Stanford ranks No. 9 in that category with 19; A year ago, Cal finished the season with 28 sacks...Cal sophomore punter Nick Harris has emerged as one of the best punters in the Pac-10, despite misleading stats that show him 8th in the league with a 39.2 average; he has placed 26 of his 80 punts this year inside an opponent's 20-yard-line; the last four weeks has seen him hit 9 punts for a 45.1 average vs. UCLA, 7 punts for a 41.6 average at Oregon State 7 punts for a 47.7 average at ASU and 7 punts for a 44.4 average last week vs. Arizona; his 63-yarder last week vs. Arizona was the fifth longest in the Pac-10 this season...Justin Vedder enters his final regular-season game with 4,806 passing yards in his two-year career which puts him No. 7 on Cal's all-time list; he needs 376 yards to move past Mike Pawlawski into the No. 6 spot....freshman fullback Saleem Muhammad earned his first collegiate start last week against Arizona.